How do I get into libraries?
- Libraries buy print and license ebooks through distributors.
- Library ebook platforms include OverDrive/Libby and others.
- Strong metadata and reviews help libraries find and choose you.
- Librarians respond to professional, relevant pitches.
- Library reads build readership even without a direct sale.
Get into libraries by making your book available through the channels libraries buy from — distributors and aggregators that feed library print ordering and ebook lending platforms (such as OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, and others). Ensure your metadata is complete and professional and gather credible reviews, since librarians use these to select titles. You can also approach local librarians directly with a courteous, relevant pitch. Library availability and lending build readership and discovery even when each read is not a direct sale.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Libraries are a significant, often overlooked channel: they buy books, lend them widely, and introduce authors to readers who become fans and buyers. But getting in requires being available through the right distributors and meeting librarians' professional standards for metadata and reviews. Understanding how libraries acquire books, and how to make yours easy to find and choose, helps authors reach a readership beyond retail — building discovery and long-term audience that pure retail sales can miss.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Availability through library distributors.
- Listing on library ebook platforms.
- Complete, professional metadata.
- Credible reviews librarians can reference.
- Courteous, relevant pitches to librarians.
- A view of libraries as readership, not just sales.
Chapter iii·Example
A self-publisher distributes her ebook through an aggregator that feeds library lending platforms, ensures her metadata and categories are professional, and gathers a few editorial reviews. She also emails her local library system with a brief, relevant pitch. Soon her book is lendable through Libby — reaching readers who discover her and seek out her next book.
WriteLoom keeps your metadata and distribution organized, so reaching libraries is a clean, professional step.
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